Yesterday France passed a new law that will ban PFAS in several products including clothing and cosmetics. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of over 10,000 highly persistent synthetic chemicals often called ‘forever chemicals’, because they do not break down easily in the environment.
Exposure to some PFAS has been linked to numerous adverse health impacts, such as the promotion of certain cancers, disruption of the immune system and reduced fertility.
On 11th February the French National Assembly’s Sustainable Development, Spatial and Regional Planning Committee supported a Bill that would ban PFAS chemicals in consumer products such as clothing and cosmetics in France. Yesterday the Bill was voted on in plenary.
The Bill proposed by Nicolas Thierry (French MP of the Groupe Ecologiste et Social) and supported by over 20 MPs, was voted through at its first stage in April 2024.
It included a ban on all PFAS in clothing for the general public, cosmetics, and ski waxes by 2026 and for all textiles by 2030. It originally included cookware but an exemption was granted due to the strong industry lobby in France.
The proposal also added PFAS to the list of substances monitored in drinking water in France and introduced a fee on companies releasing PFAS into the environment of 100 euros per 100 kg of PFAS emitted.
The new law is seen as an important step in protecting the health of French citizens and the environment from the potential impacts of these forever chemicals.
However, while the process for an EU-wide restriction on PFAS continues it is unlikelt to come in much before 2030.
Despite some opposition the law was supported by the majority of members of the French Parliament. Prior to the vote, over 140,000 French citizens called on their MPs to back the Bill.
The new law is however still a crucial step towards protecting French citizens and nature from these harmful chemicals. It will also take steps towards making polluters pay to clean up the contamination they are causing, by introducing a fee on companies emitting PFAS into the environment.
France now joins Denmark in leading the way on action on PFAS.
However, according to CHEM Trust, a collaboration between CHEM Trust, a UK-registered charity, and CHEM Trust Europe, a charity based in Germany, national bans are not a substitute for EU action.
CHEM Trust’s primary aim is to prevent hazardous chemicals from causing long-term damage to wildlife or humans.
CHEM Trust is calling for a proposed universal Restriction on PFAS to be implemented to provide protections for people and nature across Europe. The restriction will ban PFAS as a group across most uses, from clothes and cookware to cars, and allows generous transition times to allow industry to adapt.
Sandra Bell of CHEM Trust said
“This ban on PFAS in products like clothing and cosmetics is great news for French citizens worried about their exposure to these harmful chemicals. The not so good news is that some key products like cookware were exempted. Now France needs to get firmly behind an EU wide restriction on PFAS ensuring more products are included and citizens of all member states are protected”.
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